Type-writing machine for the blind



(No Model.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. L. STHRESHLEY. TYPE WRITING MACHINE FOR THE BLIND.

No. 443,977. Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

K $5 BY ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.)

, I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. STHRESH-LEY. TYPE WRITING MAGHINE FOR THE BLIND. No. 443,977.

Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

m mwm ATTORNEYS.

LIZZIE STHRESHLEY,

OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE FOR THE BLIND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443.977, dated December 30, 1890.

' Application filed July 23, 1889. Serial No. 318367. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Lrzzrn STHRESHLEY, of Austin, in the county of Travis and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Type-IVriting Machine for the Blind, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-v scrlption.

The invention is an improvement in machines for the production of writings for the blind, under what is technically termed the point system.

The novelty consists in the construction and combination of parts constituting the carriage-feeding, the spacing, and the embossing mechanism, as hereinafter pointed ou Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views. 7

Figure 1 is a plan view of an implement embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on line a: w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the under side of the carriage, the carriage being represented as it appears when turned upward upon its cylindrical rack. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View on line 11] y of Fig. 1, the parts, however, being represented as they appear when the main frame is raised. Fig. 5 isan enlarged sectional detail view on line 1) o of Fig. 2, the operatinglevers being shown as they appear when depressed to the platen. Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the character of the work produced on the implement. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view on line VII VII of Fig. 1, the parts being shown in the position they assume when points are being formed; and Fig. 8 is a detail view 011 line VIII VIII of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 10 represents a base-plate, to whichplate there are secured upwardlyextending flanges 11, having teeth 12. A frame 13 is pivotedly connected between the forward ends of the flanges 11, and this frame carries a swinging rack 14, of which the crossbar 15 is arranged to engage the teeth 12, so that the frame 13 may be supported in an inclined position, as shown in the drawings.

The frame 13 carries a horizontal rod or bar 16, upon which there is adjustably mounted a plate 17, formed with two rows of upwardly-extending projections 18, and just beneath the rod or bar 16 is mounted a shaft 19, which carries a feeding-roll 20, such roll bearing against a shield 21, that is connected to a shaft 22, the shield being provided with a catch 24, which extends outward through the forward part or wall a of the frame 13, such wall being provided with a key-hole slot, through which the catch-stem extends, and the catch being formed with an annular groove which fits within the narrow section of'the key-hole slot when the shield is pressed against the roll 20.

The frame 13 carries a cylindrical rack 30, which serves as the support for the rear end of a carriage 31, said carriage being provided shown in connection therewith in Fig. 1; but

in order that the carriage may be held against the tension of the spring, I provide a lever 34, that is pivotally connected to one side of the carriage and normally held in the position in which it is shown in the drawings byaspring 35, said spring bearing against a pin 36, carried by an auxiliary lever 37, which said auxiliary lever is pivotally connected to the lever 34 by a pivot pin or screw 38, the pin 36 passing through a slot that is formed in the lever 34. I v

To the auxiliary lever 37 is connected a spring-lever 39, which overlaps the rack 30, and when the parts are in the position in which they are shown in the drawings engages one of the rack-teeth. If, however, the

lever 34 be thrown downward in the direction of the arrow shown in connection therewith in Fig. 4, the spring-lever 39 will be thrown from engagement with the rack-teeth and against a stop 40, that is carried by the carriage, the rising of the rear end of the lever 34 bringing the point 0 of said lever into engageinent with the rack prior to the time when the spring-lever 39 is freed from engagement with the rack. If new the pressure upon the lever 34 be relaxed, the spring 35 will act to return said lever to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 4, and as the lever so returns the spring-lever 39 will be car ried into engagement with an advanced tooth of the rack, and immediately after such engagement has been brought about the point e of the lever 34 will move from engagement with the rack, and the carriage will be fed forward one step by the spring of the drum 33, the tilting of the levers 37 and 39 being brought about by the spring 35,which, as be fore stated, bears upon the pin 36, carried .by the lever 37. I

In order that the carriage may be moved backward against the tension of the spring of the drum 33, I provide the lever 34 with a thumb-piece 41, and I clamp a second thumbpiece 42 upon the lever 37, the arrangement being such that by grasping the two thumbpieces and pressing them together the levers 34 and 37 will be moved so as to carry both levers 34 and 37 from engagement with the teeth of the rack, and after the levers 34 and 37 have been so moved from engagement with the rack the carriage may be forcibly pushed backward against the tension of the spring arranged within the drum and against a stop 43, that is adj ustably mounted upon a rocking rod or bar 44, thatis arranged parallel with and slightly to the rear and above the rack 30.

The carriage 31 carries two levers 45 and 45, said levers being normally upheld by springs 46. The levers 45 and 45 are formed with downwardly extending projections 47, that are recessed, as shown at d, to receive the points 18 of the plate 17, the recess of the lever 45 registering with the upper series of points, while the recess of the lever 45 reg isters with the lower series of points.

The frame 13 carries a drum or shaft 50, upon which there may be wound a continuous web of paper, which said paper is carried forward over the peripheral face of the roll 20, passing between said roll and the shield 21, to be carried thence over the strip or plate 17. The paper having been so adjusted, it will be seen that if either or both of the levers 45 and 45 are depressed their recesses will be brought into register with the points 18 and the paper will be embossed, and as the levers 45 and 45 (either one or both) are depressed the lever 34 will be depressed, and when the pressure upon the levers 45 and 45 is relaxed the lever 34 will return to its normal position and the carriage will be fed forward one step that is to say, the spacing-lever 34, being under and not connected with the embossinglevers 45 45, does not when pressed upon affeet their normal position. Therefore when a'pressure is made on the spacing-lever the supplementary levers 34 37 39 are disengaged from the rack 30 and the carriage is fed forward without making an impression upon the paper, one step of the carriage being the proper distance between letters. When a word has been written, two pressures upon the spacing-lever 34 move the carriage forward two steps, which is the usual and proper distance between words. Thus it will be seen that a succession of pressures upon the spacing-lever at 41 will carry the carriage forward to any desired distance without embossing the paper. The embossing-levers 45 45, running as they do above and at right angles to lever 34 and in front of pin or fulcrum 36, when said levers 45 45 are depressed it will have the same effect'upon the levers 34 3739 as a pressure would on'lever 34, except that they emboss the paper. When the pressure on levers 45 45" is removed, they are then thrown up and held in their normal position by springs 4(.

To determine when the end of the line has been reached, I provide the carriage with a projection 51, which extends into the path of an adjustably-moun ted arm 52, thatis carried by the rod or bar 44, and this rod or bar44 is provided with a hammer 53, which normally rests against the face of abell or gong 54, the rod or bar 44 being held in the position in which it is shown in the drawings by a spring 55.

In operation the arm 52 would be adjusted to the required position, and then when the carriage projection 51 here against the arm the rod or bar 44 would be moved in the direction of the arrow shown in connection therewith in Fig. 4 and so held until the arm or projection 51 passed from engagement with the said arm 52, after which the spring 55 would act to throw the bar 44 back to its normal position, the hammer 53 at this time striking upon the gong 54 and sounding an alarm.

After a line has been produced, the roll 20 is fed forward, either by grasping and turning a milled disk 56, that is connected to one end thereof, or by throwing up a lever 57, which is normally held depressed by a spring 58, this lever being formed with a tooth, which engages the ratchet 59 when raised, as will be readily understood from an inspection of Fig. 8.

In Fig. 6 I illustrate a view of the grouping of points employed to designate the several letters of the alphabet under the point system as used in all of the systems for the lind in the United States.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The coml')ination, with the platen having two series of points, the cylindrical rack 30, the carriage pivoted and traveling upon the latter, and the spring-actuated drum 33, pivoted on said carriage and having teeth that engage the rack for feeding the carriage, of the ITO pivoted spacing spring-pressed lever 3; and holding said embossing-levers noun-ally e1ethe locking spring-pressed levers 37 and 39, vated,as shown and described, to operate as arranged alongside and connected with said I specified.

spacing-lever, as specified, and the emboss- LIZZIE STHRESHLEY. 5 ing-levers 45 and 45", pivoted upon the car- Witnesses:

riage at right angles to and extending over F. V. MOORE,

the said spacing-lever, and springs 46 for R. J. HILL. 

